ADOLESCENT MOTHER-INFANT-FATHER RELATIONSHIPS

Abstract

Little is known about the triadic relationship among adolescent mothers, their infants, and their male partners. The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of these interactions and the factors affecting individual differences in the quality of the relationships. Twenty-three couples and their 6 month old infants were observed at home using the observational procedure developed by Belsky (1983), following which parents were interviewed separately concerning their social support networks, marital adjustment, and perceived life stress. Mothers averaged 17.6 years of age and fathers 21; 91% of couples were either married or living together. Using analysis of variance, mothers were found to more likely (p < .05) respond to, stimulate/arouse,display affection, and engage in caretaking behaviors of their infants than were fathers. As a result, the overall rating of the level of mother-infant engagement was higher than the rating for father-infant engagement. For both parents, the average level of engagement with their infant was significantly related to the observed husband-wife engagement and to reports of the availability of emotional support from persons other than their partner. There was no relationship between the level of parent-child engagement and reports of life stress, marital adjustment, or availability of emotional support from partner. Our results indicate that differences between adolescent mother-infant and father-infant behaviors are similar to those previously reported for adult parents. The data also confirm our prediction that that quality of adolescent parent-infant interaction is related to indices of their social situation.

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